Typhoon in Vietnam and its dangers for coffee

The national weather forecasting centre said in a report on Friday that Typhoon Xangsane was heading towards the central coast -- from Nghe An province in the north to south-central Phu Yen province next to Daklak, Vietnam's key coffee-growing area.

The southeast Asian country is the world's second-largest exporter of coffee after Brazil.

"This is a very strong typhoon with a large-scale impact and it is moving very fast," the report said.

Meteorologists and traders in Daklak province told Reuters by telephone on Friday that the typhoon would skirt the Central Highlands area where the crop will be harvested next month.

"We expect some rain but nothing serious, the rain is actually good for the coffee trees at this stage," said an official at the Daklak weather centre.

Vietnam's oil and gas rigs are off the southern coast, away from the path of the typhoon that brought Manila to a standstill in the past few days.

Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung ordered the army to be ready for rescue missions in the central coastal provinces. Residents in the resort city of Danang have been told to prepare to evacuate.

A Daklak coffee trader said there was scattered rain in the province on Friday.

"If the rains stay at this level then everything should be fine as the cherries are still young so it is very difficult for them to fall unless hit by strong winds or very torrential and prolonged rains," the trader said.

Too much rain, however, could affect the quality of coffee beans, traders said.